Bowling Green State University Athletics
Softball Dominates Annual MAC Awards
May 08, 2012 | Softball
The Mid-American Conference announced its 2012 award recipients Tuesday, honoring several Falcons in the process. Head Coach Shannon Salsburg was honored with MAC Coach of the Year, becoming the first Falcon to win the award since Leigh Ross in 2001. Freshman Jamie Kertes picked up Freshman of the Year honors, becoming the fifth Falcon to ever win the award, and the first since Paige Berger in 2010. Kertes was also named to the All-MAC First Team, and All-MAC Freshman Team. Junior Hannah Fulk joined Kertes on the All-MAC First Team, while freshman Paris Imholz was also named to the All-MAC Freshman Team.
Shannon Salsburg - MAC Coach of the Year
Head coach Shannon Salsburg just completed her sixth season with Bowling Green, guiding the Falcons to a 35-20 overall record, with a record of 15-7 record in MAC play. Both win totals mark a new career high for Salsburg, who was able to push her team past the 30-win mark for the first time since 2007, earning 15 conference wins for the first time since 2006. The Falcons' 23-game turnaround from last season marks the biggest improvement in the country. Salsburg now holds an overall record of 125-150 with the Orange and Brown, ranking third on the all-time wins list.
Prior to Bowling Green, Salsburg spent the 2005 and 2006 seasons on the staff at Kent State University, helping the Golden Flashes to the Mid-American Conference East Division (one-half game ahead of BGSU) and MAC Tournament titles in 2006. Salsburg helped KSU shatter the school and MAC record for home runs, with 54 homers in 2006, ranking 13th in the nation in that category.
A native of Navarre, Ohio, Salsburg is a 1998 graduate of Penn State University, where she was a four-year starter at first base. She captained the Nittany Lions in three of those seasons, and still holds the school career records for home runs (34), runs batted in (118) and walks (99). A two-time All-Big Ten selection, she earned All-Great Lakes Region First-Team honors in 1995.
Jamie Kertes - MAC Freshman of the Year/ All-MAC First Team / All-MAC Freshman Team
Freshman Jamie Kertes has arguably made the biggest difference for Bowling Green in 2012, making a name for herself right out of the gate. Kertes has started 12 conference games for the Falcons, earning a record of 8-3 in her first year, one of the highest win totals in the conference. Kertes has experienced success in relief as well, ranking second in the conference with four saves.
Kertes' 2.09 ERA ranks third in the conference, helping the Falcons to a league best 2.19 ERA as a team. Kertes has allowed just seven walks in MAC play this season, and ranks second in the entire country in walks allowed per seven innings (0.6).
Kertes carries an impressive 1.26 WHIP, and has held opposing teams to zero earned runs in eight of her 18 appearances. Her 55 strikeouts rank just outside the top five in the conference, while her 70.1 innings pitched is among the top ten.
Hannah Fulk - All-MAC First Team
In conference play, Junior Hannah Fulk led the Orange and Brown in nearly every offensive category, including batting average (.379), on-base percentage (.500), hits (25), runs scored (20) and RBI (20). Fulk's other numbers are right on par with the best in the MAC, ranking in the top three in walks (17), slugging percentage (.939), total bases (62) and home runs (10).
Overall, Fulk did everything one could ask of a leadoff hitter, leading the Falcons in walks (42), on base percentage (.464), runs scored (49), and total bases. Fulk contributed heavily in the power game as well, leading the team in home runs (13) and slugging percentage (.650). Fulk's home run and walk total set individual Bowling Green single season records, and helped the Falcons to the country's best turn around with a 23-game improvement over last season. Fulk's 13 home runs helped make Bowling Green history, as the first time that multiple players recorded double-digit home runs in a single season for the Orange and Brown (Fulk, Andrea Arney and Katie Yoho).
Paris Imholz - All-MAC Freshman Team
Freshman Paris Imholz dominated as a freshman in MAC play this season, going 7-4 with an impressive 2.28 ERA. Opponents only batted .259 against Imholz, ranking in the top ten in the conference. Imholz led the Falcons with 76.2 innings pitched in conference, completing a team-best 10 games in the process. Imholz was extremely effective in relief as well, ranking first in the conference with five saves.
Overall, her 17 wins rank fifth all time in BG single season history, while her seven saves rank second on the all-time single season list. Imholz led the Falcons in nearly every pitching category, including ERA (1.85), complete games (10), innings pitched (182), average against (.236) and hits (160). Imholz was a part of Bowling Green history along with teammate Jamie Kertes, as both earned over 15 wins this season, marking the first time in the history of the program that two pitchers recorded 15 wins or more.
First Team All-MAC
Catcher - Alexis Curtiss, Buffalo
Catcher – Lauren Gellerman, Ohio
1B - Alissa Birkhimer, Akron
2 B - Brooke Gates, Toledo
SS - Hannah Fulk, Bowling Green
SS - Alison Mercado, Ball State
3B - Jessica Richards, Eastern Michigan
Outfield - Jennifer Gilbert, Ball State
Outfield- Nicole Gremillion, Northern Illinois
Outfield - Lindasy Tobias, Toledo
Outfield - Danielle Parish, Northern Illinois
Pitcher – Jessica Simpson, Miami
Pitcher -- Jamie Kertes, Bowling Green
Utility Non-Pitcher - Amanda Montalto, Ball State
Utility Pitcher- Meredith Whitney, Western Michigan
Second Team All-MAC
Catcher - Kayla Ledbetter, Miami
1 B - Tara Buchanan, Western Michigan
1 B - Molly Coldren, Central Michigan
1 B - Raven King, Ohio
2 B - Sammi Gallardo, Buffalo
SS- Alexis Joseph, Ohio
3 B - Audrey Bickel, Ball State
Utility Non-Pitcher - Jennifer Barnett, Northern Illinois
Pitcher - Lauren McClary, Ohio
Pitcher - Kara Dornbos, Central Michigan
Pitcher - Emma Johnson, Kent State
Outfield - Jillian VanWagnen, Ohio
Outfield - Shanyn McIntyre, Miami
Outfield - Hanne Stuedemann, Ball State
Outfield – Amanda Carpenter, Ball State
All-Freshman Team
Keelia Nester, Akron
Hanne Stuedemann, Ball State
Paris Imholz, Bowling Green
Jamie Kertes, Bowling Green
Alexis Curtiss, Buffalo
Chelsea DeLamielluere, Central Michigan
Emma Johnson, Kent State
Dani Ramos, Kent State
Shanyn McIntyre, Miami
Lauren McClary, Ohio
Freshman of the Year -- Jamie Kertes, Bowling Green
Pitcher of the Year – Jessica Simpson, Miami
Player of the Year – Jennifer Gilbert, Ball State
Nan Harvey Award -- Jordan McElroy, Miami
Coach of the Year – Shannon Salsburg, Bowling Green
Collegesportsmadness.com also named their All-MAC Conference Teams, honoring Paris Imholz with a First Team selection, and Jamie Kertes and Rachel Proehl with a Second Team selection.
| First Team | Second Team | |||||
| P | Jessica Simpson, Miami (OH) | P | Jamie Kertes, Bowling Green | |||
| P | Emma Johnson, Kent State | P | Megan Dortch, Northern Illinois | |||
| P | Paris Imholz, Bowling Green | P/IF | Meredith Whitney, Western Michigan | |||
| IF | Alison Mercado, Ball State | IF | Rachael Ratcliffe, Akron | |||
| IF | Amanda Montalto, Ball State | IF | Molly Coldren, Central Michigan | |||
| IF | Alexis Curtiss, Buffalo | IF | Shelby Miller, Northern Illinois | |||
| IF | Stephanie Tofft, Northern Illinois | IF | Alexis Joseph, Ohio | |||
| IF | Alissa Birkhimer, Akron | IF | Daniela Torres, Miami (OH) | |||
| OF | Macy Merchant, Central Michigan | OF | Katy Blaharski, Eastern Michigan | |||
| OF | Jennifer Gilbert, Ball State | OF | Rachel Proehl, Bowling Green | |||
| OF | Jillian Van Wagnen, Ohio | OF | Dani Ramos, Kent State | |||
| UTIL | Shanyn McIntyre, Miami (OH) | UTIL | Brooke Gates, Toledo | |||
